Automatic control for flying machines



V Oct. 1.3, 1925.

E. MITTON A TOMATIC CONTROL FOR FLYING MACHINES r z n l Filed Sept. 2 1922 2 Sheets'Sheet 1 W Q Wi R. E. MITTON AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR FLYING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Skeet 2 Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,557,532 PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT ELVYN MITTON, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO THE MITTON BRALEY AEROPLANE CONTROL OOMPAN TIO'N OF UTAH.

Y, O]? SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORA- AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOIL FLYING MACHINES.

Application filed September 25, 1922, Serial No. 590,281. Renewed July 10, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnnr ELVYN Mrrwon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Controls for Flying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in controlling mechanism for flying machines, which consists of the novel arrangements of parts to be here inafter described and claimed.

One object of the invention is to provide a control which will automatically maintain the lateral and longitudinal stability of flying machines.

Another object of this invention is to provide a control which will instantly guide the machine in any direction, in a modified manner, but when desirable, will make any corrections necessary to maintain stability unaided by the pilot.

Another object of this invention is to provide a control with which it would be difficult to place the flying machine far from its natural flying attitude, thus doing away with hazardous stunts.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of an aeroplane, showing the invention in place with the control wires to the elevators attached thereto.

Fig. 2, is a front view of Fig. 1, with the control wires to the ailerons attached thereto.

Fig. 3, is a side view of the invention.

Fig. 4, is a front view of Fig. 3, looking from the front of the aeroplane.

Fig. 5, is a fragmentary bottom view of Fig. 3.

Similar letters and numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

A denotes the frame, B the plane, O the right aileron, D the left aileron, E the elevators, F the rudder, G the'pilots seat, 1 the hand control lever or joy stick. ,The control lever 1 is pivotally connected to the shaft 3 by means of the bolts 4, 5 the segment bracket mounted on the shaft 3 and pivotally connected thereto by the bolts 6. An arm 7 projects from the segment bracket to which is connected link8. A hole 9 located in the segment bracket for receiving the taper on the locking lever sleeve 10 mounted on the control lever 1.

On the control lever 1 are located brackets 11 in which is pivotally placed the handle 12. On the inner end of the handle 12 and pivotally connected thereto is the lifting rod it the lower end thereof being connected to the locking sleeve 10 by screws or other means. A spring 13 is attached to the lever 1 and the handle 12 for holding the handle in the locked or unlocked position.

Located on the lever 1 below the neck 15 are eyes 16 to which the wires 27 and 28 for operating the ailerons are attached.

The shaft 3 rests in and passes through the bearings 17 on the side of the frame A. Located on the end of the shaft 3 are horns 18 to which are attached the wires 19 and 20 for operating the elevators.

Fivotally connected to the link 8 is the up per end of the pendulum 21. which is sup ported by the pin 22 within the pendulum resting. in the sides of the swivel bearing 23. Shafts 25 projecting from the swivel bearing 23 the ends thereof being journaled in the bearings 26 secured to the side of the frame A. The invention is secured to the frame A by the bearings 17 and 26.

By looking the control lever 1 to the seg ment bracket 5 by dropping the sleeve 10 in the hole 9 by raising the handle 12 upward forces the sleeve 10 into the hole 9 and is held therein by the spring 13. WVhen the invention is so locked it becomes one solid unit thus the pendulum 21 will operate the control unaided by the pilot or the pilot can operate the control in combination with the pendulum.

Having thus described the parts of my invention, I will now illustrate the operation of same.

Banking, turning, ascending and descending is accomplished in the following manner; moving control lever 1 to the right, when all parts are locked together moves pendulum to the left raising right aileron O and depresses left aileron D thus causing aeroplane to bank or lean to the right.

Move control lever 1 to the left moves pendulum to the right, depresses right aileron and raising left aileron thus causingaerd plane to bank or lean to the left.

To operate elevators pushing control lever 1 a head moves penduliun to the rear, operates horns 18 in" such a manner as to draw on wire 20 to depress the elevators which raises the tail and causes the aeroplane to descend Pull control lever 1 backward moves pendulum to the front operates horns 18 in such a manner as to draw on wire 19 thusraisii'ig the elevators, depresses the tail and cause the aeroplane to climb or ascend.

The foregoing movements are those made by the pilots hand upon the control lever 1 to guide the aeroplane up or down or tip it to the right or left. The following described movements of the plane away from a level flying position,- shows how the automatic corrections take place when thependulum has different positions relative to the plane.

It will be understood that the rudder operated by the feet by means of the rudder bar 61 is used in conjunction with any of the above movements which involve a turning movement about the vertical axis.

After the study of the drawings of the invention, it will be readily seen that since it is possible to operate the pendulum as well as the controlling, surfaces, whenever a movement is made by the hands with the control lever 1, the pendulum can react these movements as far as the correction of any disturbance of the balance of the aeroplane is concerned. Thus if an upward current of air should unexpectedly raise the right wing out of level position it will be seen that the pendulum actuated by the force of gravity will not move withtheshipbut will remain straight downward. The ship tipping to the left would then automatically operate the control lever l to the right, since that it is obvious that the pendulum would then be in a position to the left, and in so doing would operate the ailerons to return the ship to a level position, then all controls would be neutralized;

It is stated above that the ship moves the control lever to the left under the aforesaid circumstances, this it does not really do, but, it accomplishes practically the same thing, because the ship, turns about the longitudinal axis of the machine leaving the control lever and pendulum stationary, thereby operating the control more effectively and exactly than if the control lever itself was moved to accomplish the same results. The operation of the ailerons by means of the control lever is fully explained in the paragraphs on operation. lVhen the ship tips to the right or opposite to the above all movements and corrections for same are exactly opposite or vice-versa to the above.

Having thus disposed of the lateral-0s cillations of an aeroplane in flight in this manner, we will now take'the longitudinal disturbances. Thus if an upward current of air should strike the tail of the machine it would throw the nose down or in a position to descend, which it would immediately do, In this case it will be seen that while the ship was tipping dewnward, it would leave the pendulum in exactly'the" same position it would be in if the control lever was pulled backwhen the ship was level or in other words, it would be hanging forward, the lever would be automatically thrown back, thus giving the proper correction, since this movement, as explained in the paragraph on operation raises the elevators depressing the tail to a level position, when all parts are neutralized because the pendulum is then in dead center.

If the ship strikes a current of air that would tip it backward or nose up, the operation would be opposite from the above in every detail.-

The single, lateral and longitudinal movements of the ship, taken separately have been described. I now will give an example of the more complicated, combined, lateral and'longitudinal movements and corrections. Thus if an upward" current of air should simultaneously raise the right wing and tail out of a level position, the ship tipping to the left and forward, would then automatically operate its control lever to the right and backward, since it is obvious that the pendulum would then be in aposition to the left and forward, and in so doing would operate its ailerons and elevators to return the ship to a level position. By the pendulum moving the control lever backward and to the right, rocks segment bracket 5 to the right and rocks elevator horns backward, thereby raising the elevators, depressing the left aileron and raising right aileron causing the tail to be depressed, the right wing to be depressed, and the left wing to be raised, thereby returning the ship to a level position Then all parts are automatically neutralized because the pendulum would then be in dead center.

If anupper current of air should simultaneously raise the left wing and tail out of a level position, the control working through the principles explained above, would automatically move the control lever to the left and backward, thus depressing the right aileron and raising the left aileron raising the elevators causing the ship to return to a level position.

If a current of air should simultaneously raise the right wing and depress the tail out of a level position, the control would automatically movethe control lever to the right and forward, thus depressing the left aileron, raising the right aileron" and depressing the elevators causing the ship to return to a level position.

If a current of air should simultaneously raise the left wing and depress the tail out of a level position the control would automatically move the control lever to the left and forward, thus depressing the right aileron, raising the left aileron and depressing the elevators, and causing the ship to return to a level position.

Having thus described myinvention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a control of the character described for flying machines, in combination, a hand control lever pivotally mounted on a shaft, a segment bracket pivotally mounted on said shaft, said segment bracket having a hole therein, a sleeve mounted on said control lever, said sleeve to fit within said hole in said segment bracket to lock said control lever to said segment, means on said control lever for operating said sleeve, means on said control lever for attaching the Wires to the ailerons, and means on said shaft for operating the wires to the elevators.

2. In a control for flying machines of the character described, comprising a hand con trol lever pivotally mounted on a shaft, a segment pivotally mounted on said shaft, said segment having a hole therein and an arm projecting therefrom, a pendulum supported by another shaft, a link connecting said control lever with said pendulum, means on said control lever for locking said mechanism together, means on said mechanism for controlling the elevators and ailerons and means for securing said control to the aeroplane.

3. In a control for air ships of the character described, in combination, a control lever, a shaft supporting said lever, a segment mounted on said shaft, said segment having a hole therein through which passes the control lever, an arm projecting from said segment, a pendulum supported by another shaft, a link connecting said segment arm with said pendulum, a swivel bearing supported by said other shaft, said other shaft supported by bearings secured to the side of the air ship, said pendulum for automatically operating said control and means operated by said control for operating elevators and ailerons.

4. In a control for flying machines of the character described, comprising a hand operating control lever pivotally mounted on a shaft, a segment pivotally mounted on said shaft, said segment having a hole therein through which passes said hand control lever, said segment having an arm projecting therefrom, a pendulum pivotally mounted in a swivel bearing, the pivots of said swivel bearing being journaled in bearings secured to the sides of the flying machine, a link connecting said segment arm with said pendulum and means for locking said control lever to said segment.

5. In a control of the character described, in combination, a hand control Wheel mounted on a shaft, a segment bracket mounted on said shaft, means for pivotally connecting said hand control lever and segment to said shaft, said shaft resting in and passing through bearings secured to the sides of the frame, means on the end of said shaft for attaching the control wires to the elevators and means in said hand control lever for at taehing the wires to the ailerons, means on said control lever for locking and unlocking said segment to said hand control lever, a.

pendulum supported by another shaft, 2:. link connecting said pendulum with said segment, said pendulum for operating said nism for controlling the elevators and ailerons and means for securing said control gether.

6. In a control of the character described for air ships, comprising a hand control lever, a segment bracket, said hand control lever and segment bracket pivotally mounted on a shaft, said segment bracket having a hole therein through which said control lever passes, a sleeve sliding on said hand control lever,-said sleeve to fit within said hole, means on said control lever for operating said sleeve in and out of said hole, horns secured to the ends-of said shaft for operating the elevator control wires, means on said hand control lever for operating the ailerons, a pendulum mounted on another shaft for automatically operating said control and means for securing said control to the air ship.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT ELVYN MITTON. 

